The specific services to be provided by the Rodent Disease Diagnostic Laboratory are: routine monitoring of 1,500 rodents annually from the Production Colonies of NCI for infectious agents and spontaneous disease processes (preliminary data will be reported to the Project Officer within two weeks after receipt of animals); diagnosis of disease outbreaks which occur in production and user facilities; assistance of the Project Officer in interpreting the significance of laboratory results and planning of corrective measures; and applied research directed toward improving the methodology for detecting and eliminating two of the more important rodent pathogens encountered in NCI colonies.